This was Bill last night.
It was about 10:00pm when I took this photo.
I told him we should go to bed because he could not keep his eyes open. He said “no” over and over again. Finally, I got up and started doing my nightly bedtime routine. By the time I was finished, he was sound asleep in that chair. So I made him get up and go to bed. We didn’t even open any champagne, which is very much unlike us. The upside is that for once, I’m not hungover on New Year’s Day.
We did enjoy a nice dinner. Bill broke out the Anova Sous Vide that I got him for Christmas in 2016 (but he didn’t receive until 2017). He cooked a beef tenderloin roast that he found at the commissary, of all places. It turned out amazingly tender.
He also broke out the wedding china and silverware. We were fancy!
I had every intention of lying in bed and reading, but then my own eyelids started to get heavy. So I turned off the light and drifted off to sleep. Then I was awakened at exactly 11:58pm, when the neighbors started setting off fireworks. They continued for about a half an hour and then they, too, went to bed. I managed to get a few lame photos because it was dark and I didn’t feel like looking for my camera. Then I went back to bed and spent another hour or so trying to go back to sleep.
I got some video that was probably somewhat better than this is… Photography is not my forte. Maybe later I’ll make a video and add it to this post, not that anyone will watch it.
The town we currently live in is a bit more conservative on New Year’s Eve than our former German town, Pfäffingen, was. People in that town went nuts with the fireworks and set them off for hours. It was like a blitzkrieg. Here, they set off the odd firework before they are supposed to and then there’s about a half an hour show. Then, they go to bed. Bill and I never set off fireworks ourselves. We just watch everyone else’s.
This year, I learned that people are not supposed to set off fireworks before midnight. Apparently, it was even a law. Our local German guru says the law changed, but some people may not have gotten the memo. German stores are only allowed to sell fireworks from December 28 until the 31st. And since the 31st was on a Sunday, I guess there were even fewer opportunities to buy them this year. Firecrackers are allowed to be used all year, but other fireworks can only be purchased by adults and only at New Year’s. It’s illegal to light them at any other time of the year without permission from your town.
Someone in one of the local groups got bitched at by a neighbor yesterday for setting off fireworks “too early”. I will never understand why some Germans can be so “in your face” about enforcing rules. Apparently, the encounter was not pleasant or neighborly. I felt bad for my fellow American, getting yelled at on New Year’s Eve. I have gotten yelled at by random Germans before myself. On the other hand, I have also found the locals to be very nice once you get to know them. People in our current neighborhood are especially nice, which is a blessing.
Supposedly, you’re not supposed to light fireworks near hospitals, churches, or old people’s homes. I get not lighting them near hospitals and churches, but it seems odd to restrict them near old people’s homes. What if you don’t know how old your neighbors are? Anyway, the elderly people in my neighborhood got a show last night whether they wanted one or not. Also, it’s against the rules to light them on any of the U.S. military posts, although I think they sometimes have shows there run by professionals. I don’t mind watching fireworks, but I probably care less about them than the average person does.
I usually find New Year’s a little depressing. The holidays are over and it’s time to take the tree down and get through the frigid months that lead off the new year. But hopefully, we’ll have some new adventures and get in some more traveling. I look forward to writing more restaurant reviews and visiting new places. For now, I will enjoy the quiet on the first day of 2018.